The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has advocated the need to use technology as a tool to minimise the impacts of climate change and natural disasters on society.
The Operations Manager, IFRC, Abuja Country Cluster Delegation, Mr. Hopewell Munyari, said this at a meeting with representatives from the private sector in collaboration with the Nigerian Red Cross Society. The meeting was themed, ‘Moving Beyond Green: A Dialogue on Accelerated Climate Change Action’ in Lagos, on Wednesday.
Munyari, who referred to the recent flooding affecting some parts of the country, said natural disasters like this could be predicted, controlled and their effects minimised if technology was involved at the onset.
He said, “In terms of using technology, there are a lot of innovations present that can be used such as geo-information systems that can predict disasters and save lives and properties long before they occur.
“These systems can map out areas that would be affected, in a flooding situation for instance. It can detect not just the areas but the exact communities that would be affected.
“That way with the information on weather patterns already detected, the government can then take proactive actions immediately to tackle the issue long before it occurs. People do not need to die unnecessarily cause they could have been moved out from the area, and things would have been put in place to ensure that the impact is not as serious as it would have been without early detection.”
“The issue we have in Nigeria is that we are reactive to everything instead of thinking and acting ahead,” he added.
Munyari also stressed that Nigeria had excess capacity to access the necessary technological systems that would aid the fight against climate change, adding that Nigerians were very intelligent people.
He said, “Nigeria has the literacy to utilise all these kinds of information. The capacity is there, but it is how we harness it to make sure it is directed at the actual problems.
“Nigeria is the heartbeat of the West coast and with such a huge economy one would expect that they would be the leaders.
“Policy plays an important role in this as well. We need policy direction to be channeled towards disaster risk reduction, but if the laws are not aligned to risk reduction and they are more focused on response then we will always wait until a disaster happens before we respond, just as is the case with the National Emergency Management Agency.”
In his speech, the Head Of Delegation, IFRC, Abuja Country Cluster Delegation, Mr. Bhupinder Tomar, said the Red Cross was shifting from being just a responsive pillar to being an anticipatory pillar. He said the Disaster Response Emergency Funds would henceforth support both anticipatory and responsive efforts.
He said, “DREF would henceforth be utilised in not just responsive actions but in anticipatory actions as well. This would lead to readiness, early actions and early response, ultimately saving lives and reducing impact. Being reactive is not enough.”
The President, NRCS and Vice President, IFRC, Bolaji Anani, in a goodwill message, said the forum was primarily set up to explore more ways the private sector could get involved to seek innovative ways to ensure sustainability in society.
He said although the Red Cross had 800,000 registered volunteers nationwide, the figure was small compared to the population of the country, adding that more volunteers would be needed in order to make a visible impact in society.
He added, “The focus of climate change is overdue in Nigeria and it affects every area of society. In agriculture, sea levels are rising, soil erosion is becoming more intense, droughts are also getting more intense and this is a threat to life stock production. As a result, there are heightened problems between farmers and herders.
“Climate change has magnified inequality, poverty and displacement not just in Nigeria, but in Africa at large. People are being forced to migrate both internally and externally.”
Present at the programme were notable stakeholders including; Secretary General, NCRS, Abubakar Kende; Director, Partnership and Communications, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Somachi Chris-Asoluka; General Manager, Abbey Mortgage Bank, Lolita Ejiofor; Head, Impact and Sustainability, Verod Capital Management, Chigozie Ejimogu; President, She Farmers Initiative, Temitope Ande and the representative of the University of Ibadan, Department of Geography, Prof. Adeniyi Gbadegesin.
